Vimla: Some people have a yellow car

With this campaign we looked at the concept of Some people have it. Others… not so much. and let the Others be an environment that manifests everything that’s grey, old, heavy, stale, toxic and backwards.

We were also excited (and a bit nervous) to have a tiny bit of dialogue leading up to the voice-over. The guy says: “You’re on Vimla?” to which the girl replies affirmative with an “Uh-huh.”

The context and the voice-over then makes the tagline/concept encompass both the very specific “having the Vimla mobile network” and the more conceptual “having that special something”.

The preparation for the shoot was both fun and intense with a skeleton crew consisting of ourselves and the producer and director from the production company. We advertised for tiny, cute and fun vintage cars, we searched for something eye-catching to put on the car rails, found a huge gorilla that we spray painted yellow and pink, we scouted costumes, searched through huge prop warehouses to find a giant pencil, we composed music and weighed the visual impact of nuclear power plants against the doom and gloom of fossil fuel power plants.

Du har rätt att känna dig trygg

The Child and School Student Representative, BEO, is a part of the Swedish Schools Inspectorate and has supervision over the section of the Education Act which deals with degrading treatment.

We were asked to increase awareness among 13–16 year olds that they have the lawful right to be free from degrading treatment, harassment and discrimination. A right that extends beyond the campus and school hours.

The text messages in the pool are from actual BEO cases and translate to something like: I’ll fuckin destroy you on Monday.Answer me you ugly BITCH!!!Change schools then, you twat

And the end frame says:You have the lawful right to be free from degrading treatment. Off campus too.

Vimla: Some people have it. Others... not so much.

In early 2018 we were asked to tweak the tagline and concept for Vimla. They wanted the new concept to still be able to encompass them letting part of their profit go to charity and their customers (by proxy) making the world a better place.

But they also wanted it to be able to put the spotlight on their new platform and technical services – services they would have monopoly on for at least two years. But the launch of these services would come later, so the new concept had to be able to stand on its own for a while.

We came up with the phrase Some people have it. Others... not so much. With [it] working both on a conceptual level (as a positive otherness) and as something specific and hands-on.

Vimla: A Good Excuse

For the main campaign 2017 we wanted the commercials to be more fun and tongue-in-cheek than the previous year. They still played on Vimla letting part of their profit go to charity and the members (by proxy) making the world a better place.

So even if it's a bad habit to stream adult TV in your flat mate's bed, occupying the bathroom during a party or ignoring your date – if you're streaming, surfing and uploading selfies with Vimla, you always have a good excuse.

The Train Brain

The Train Brain was initially developed for Stockholmståg who operate the Stockholm Commuter Railway. Through an app it aimed to give control back to the commuters by informing them of delays even before they happen. It was also a tool for Traffic Control who could use the algorithm to redirect trains and minimize the effect of ripple effects from a disturbance in the network.

The Train Brain has since been corporated on its own and is now available for other network operators (not just rail bound) in other countries.

The algorithm was recognized internationally (global reach >680 Million) with articles and clips in media like BBC News, Aftonbladet, SVT, Washington Post, Daily Mail, Forbes, Gizmodo, Vice, Wall Street Online and Techable. It was also awarded in Advertising Shows like The One Show, Cannes Lions, Sabre, Eurobest, 100-wattaren and Spinn.

Agency: KärnhusetClient: Stockholmståg

Yes you can

With Vimla you can save unused data from one month to the next, and the next, and the next. You can increase or decrease the amount of monthly data, you can cancel the service without any strings attached and you can pause and activate it at will, as often and as many times as you want.

Let's see... what else can you do? Have kumquats for breakfast, wiggle your toes, change your name to Potato, sing like a sea lion and pet a goose?

Print: Dead or Alive?

Way back in 1999 we worked with daily newspaper Svenska Dagbladet who were suffering in ad sales. Print advertising was losing market shares to TV and they asked us for help.

We decided to do an inspirational magazine for Swedish ad agencies and to showcase extraordinary print advertising and let a number of advertising legends share their views on the medium. Was print dead, or alive?

Me and a copywriter went to London to talk with the likes of David Abbott, Dave Trott, Chris O’Shea and new kid on the block Mother. To keep the team as small as possible I handled the photography as well.

Back home we put the magazine Print: Dead or Alive? together and it was sent out to Swedish ad agencies and used as sales material. Truncated versions of the articles also ran as spreads in the newspaper. And this was when Svenska Dagbladet was still a full-size newspaper, before becoming a tabloid.

Agency: Graceland Sthlm / TankClient: Svenska Dagbladet

SvD: Headhunter

Näringsliv Special was a weekly supplement to Swedish newspaper Svenska Dagbladet, reaching half a million subscribers as well as being sent out directly to yet another 55,000 people working in the IT-sector.

The magazine was a source for jobs in IT, with articles on a market in constant flux written and edited by the same staff as Svenska Dagbladet .

The launch and follow up-campaigns made a point of Näringsliv Special being your weapon of choice if you were a headhunter in the IT-business.

And working with a morning newspaper has its benefits: There's no shortage of media space. Fresh from school I got such a kick out of seeing our campaigns on full-page ads and spreads in the paper. And... this was when Svenska Dagbladet was still a full-size newspaper, before they switched to the tabloid format.

Vimla: New Concept

With very big ambitions, a tight deadline and a shoestring budget the launch of the new creative concept needed a strong visual cue that built on Vimla letting part of their profit go to charity and their members thinking more than others. Or perhaps, thinking more ABOUT others.

For Vimla, a new player with limited media spend, the cue also needed to give immediate brand recognition and say Vimla from the very first frame.

Over the Christmas and New Year holidays (2015) me, the film director and the studio worked relentlessly to breathe life and compassion into these masks.

The design of the characters needed (beyond being unique and recognizable) to be sympathetic, tactile and emotive. Textures, paint application, eyes and facial expressions were worked out with this is mind.

Grönvik & Partners

This campaign set the spotlight on Grönvik & Partners, one of Sweden's premiere pre-press companies. Ads in morning newspapers were followed up with broadsheet format direct marketing to ad agencies. The direct marketing talked about their pre-press services and how they offered proofs on actual newspaper.

The first ad used a repurposed ad for Smirnoff vodka, working around the ban on ads for alcoholic beverages, caused quite a stir in Swedish newspapers and TV. The next two ads were made by us and were also gained a lot of attention.

Agency: Graceland Sthlm / Tank

Stockholmståg: Ombyte fördröjer

Between April and July 2015 the commuter trains between Alvsjö and Årstsaberg were replaced by buses. Every day tens of thousands of commuters passed through Älvsjö station and were greeted by two yellow characters who (through a LED display) guided them to the replacement bus stops, discussed favourite ice creams, how to beat your opponent in Wordfeud and other essential topics.

Many commuters wanted to bring the characters with them and severals attempts at theft and removal were interrupted. One with the excuse “But they're so cute".

O2 Treats

Campaign for O2, Ireland’s second largest broadband and telecommunications provider. We shot this the week before Christmas (2009) in sunny Capetown, South Africa.

Kalle Gustafsson took the gorgeous photos and Gabriel Byrne did the voice-over for the commercial. The end result was nice but I don't think I've ever had as much client input and requests for revisions as we did on this project.

It was a new experience for me that we had input from O2 (which is natural), but also from Lambie-Nairn, an independent agency that were O2’s European Brand Guardians. And more than once, they were not quite on the same page. That was a first for me.

Lambie were great though, and the whole project started with a day at their London office. To better get to know the O2 brand.

PS. O2 merged with Three in 2015 and no longer operate under their own name in Ireland.

UMO: Awkward and Off

UMO.se is a website for young people in Sweden with information about sex, health and relationships. We were asked to make a campaign on the topic of mental health and self-esteem issues (stress, anxiety, eating disorders, etc) targeted towards 13–18 year olds.

We teamed up with Swedish doll animation superstar Petter Lennstrand, British Felt Mistress for the character designs and Swedish pop stars Patrik Arve (of Teddybears Sthlm) and Britta Persson for music and vocals. Apart from the commercials, the campaign consisted of posters, direct marketing, radio and PR.

Vimla: Making a Difference

Calling, texting and being online with Vimla is making a difference. Vimla let part of their profit make the world a bit nicer, and they let their members decide which projects and/or organizations to support.

During 2016 Vimla donated 300,000 SEK to charity and in the first wave members could decide if they wanted to support Mind (mental health issues), Djurens Rätt (animal rights) or RFSL (equal rights for the LGBTQ community).

The campaign was promoted online with display banners, through the organizations’ social media channels, through PR and newsletters. Djurens Rätt ended up with the most votes when voting closed.

48: Go Conquer

This campaign for 48 – Ireland's first mobile network exclusively for 18 to 22 year olds – is one of the most fun and rewarding projects that I've been involved in as an Art Director. We wanted to do something fun, crazy and surreal based on Kyary Pamyu Pamyu’s hit song PonPonPon. The campaign was done with Brando in Dublin/Prague and the TVC was shot in Bratislava, Slovakia in July 2012.

The campaign won a silver in the 2013 All Ireland Media Awards for Best Integrated Outdoor, a gold in the Irish ACAD Awards for Best use of photography and was shortlisted for Best Art Direction in the Irish ACAD Awards.

MTV Japan: Video Music Awards

For the MTV Video Music Awards in Japan we created an event that turned Tokyo into a treasure map. Viewers and fans were invited to search for 200 MTV EyeDolls all over the city, prompted by flyposters at the event’s affiliated retailers, clues online, television idents and posters. Find the dolls. Discover the prizes.

Each EyeDoll was special because it came with certain awards. The ultimate prize was the silver colored EyeDoll in an edition of five pieces, granting you a backstage pass to the MTV Video Music Awards and many other things.

Within the first week the EyeDolls were being traded on Japanese auction sites. The story was picked up by the press and when the MTV team tried to hide the last set of dolls, hundreds of people had figured it out already and were lying in wait.

FBA: The Rule of Law

The promotion of rule of law, human rights and fair elections plays a central part in international missions for peace, security and development. In order to create lasting peace in a state, strengthening the respect of rule of law principles, human rights and democratic elections is crucial.

Comedy Central: Tested om Swedish Comedians

In January 2009 we did the launch for Comedy Central with commercials (cinema, online and TV), billboards, print advertising, online and direct marketing. The concept of the launch was Comedy Central – Tested on Swedish Comedians and the realization that a good laugh really is contagious.

Robert Gustafsson – one of Sweden's most popular comedians – is starring as the test subject. Fellow comedians Özz Nûjen and Kristoffer Appelquist were also brought into the lab.

The Gift that Keeps on Giving

For Christmas 2016 we ran these full-page ads for Vimla. The first one reads “The Gift that Keeps on Giving” and is referencing how Vimla let part of their profit go to charity. And how you, as a member, are a part of this. Instant karma, by proxy.

The second ad ran between Christmas and New Year and is a play on words in an old Swedish Christmas carol, twisted to tell how (unlike other mobile networks) your data isn’t nulled at the end of the month.

Arla: Latte Art

Spread that ran in food magazines, selling the new Latte Art from Arla. Emil Eriksson (pictured) was the Swedish Latte Art Champion of 2012. Headline translates to something like Surreally Good Foam, inspired (of course) by the mustache of Surrealist painter and artist Salvador Dalí.

Get an agent. Ditch the salesman!

IT-Resurs is an HR-services company dealing with recruitment and staffing in the IT sector. We were approached to find a way to attract freelancers to join their new agency Partner Network.

With the sales- and administrative backup of the agency the freelancers could focus on their core business and not have to deal with new business. It was also a unique way (as a freelancer) to become a certified Microsoft Gold partner.

The campaign built on the dual responsibilities of freelancers: The core business dealings, and the burden of attracting new business.

Fighting Spirit 2011

This is the follow-up to our successful 2010 campaign for Mälardalen University. We wanted to use the same angle (with employers being prepared to fight over the students), but we wanted to add more energy and drama.

So why do they fight over the students?

Because the students are great of course. And they get great because they work hard at a University that offer top tier education. A University with close ties to employers to find work, internships and clients to a thesis.

Fighting Spirit 2010

For Mälardalen University we wanted to talk about the very good relations between the University and the employers of the region. And we wanted to let the (potential) students know how much in demand they'd be as a graduate from the University. Instead of saying so ourselves we let the actual employers do the talking.

The campaign (print ads, outdoor, radio, online, direct and event marketing) built on the employers getting ready to fight over the students.

SvD: Debatt

There are lots of things to disagree on. We helped Daily Swedish newspaper Svenska Dagbladet launch their online debate forum with this campaign that ran online and in print.

Agency: Tank BlickeIllustrator: Jonas Banker

A Bit Busier

IT-Resurs is an HR-services company dealing with recruitment and staffing in the IT sector. Them being an underdog, challenging the bigger and more established recruitment and staffing companies, led us to coin the tagline Lite flitigare which translates to something like A Bit Busier or adjectives like Earnest or Hardworking.

Fresh off the successful launch of their Partner Network agency, we decided to implement similar visuals and developed a Busy Bee character.

Halebop

Halebop is a Swedish mobile network that I helped launch in 2002 and did all the Art Directing (and Directing) for up until 2010. We made a zillion of online campaigns, print ads, POS material, commercials and billboards. Copywriters, project managers and producers came and went, but the amazing illustrator Dennis Eriksson remained a steady partner throughout. And we had a blast!

Agencies: Moonwalk, Starring & SyrupIllustrator: Dennis Eriksson

The Fine Print

Early campaign for mobile network Vimla. One of the things that set them apart from the competition was that they had no period of binding and no period of notice, no sneaky fine print and no strings attached.

We had a lot of fun coming up with the copy and perhaps even more so in deciding where to put the asterisks. They could go almost anywhere...

The campaign ran as print ads and wild posters.

Agency: Kärnhuset

The World’s Smallest Ad?

Full-page ad that ran in evening newspapers. And yes, we got away with the client not asking us to make that logo bigger.

Agency: Graceland Sthlm

UMO: Fimpaaa!

In November 2014 the Online Youth Clinic, UMO, launched their Quit Smoking App Fimpaaa! We were asked to make 17–21 year olds discover and download the app.

48: Dumb Stuff

For this project the conceptual groundwork was in place when I was asked to come in and art direct the photo shoot and the digital and outdoor campaign. It was my second campaign for Irish mobile network 48 and my fourth project with the Brando ad agency.

Stockholmståg: Better Commute

From 2012–2016 we worked with Stockholmståg who (on behalf of SL) operated the commuter trains in Stockholm. Out of all public transports in Stockholm, the commuter trains had for a long time dragged behind in customer satisfaction, so much so that it worked like an anchor and weighed down the buses and subway as well.

In 2012 an initiative was taken to change the perception of the commuter trains by making infrastructural improvements but also by dedicating means to communicating this effort.

SL had recently launched a new visual identity that was based on bright colors and symbols. They asked us to not use their identity and neither use Stockholmstågs identity but to find a way to bridge the two of them together.

Instead of (like SL) relying on neutral symbols we thought it'd be a good idea to breathe more life into them, and make the toolbox more expressive.

We developed a concept called Steps Toward a Better Commute, with a new visual identity and a whole new way of communicating. More relaxed and playful than anything they'd ever done before.

PS. Around 2015 SL started breathing life into their own symbols and using happy buses, squirrels and whatnot to illustrate their marketing. Can't say how big part (if any) our campaigns had on this shift. But it was nice to see.